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Summertime Strategies for Continued Engagement and Fun
By Alyce Benson, LCSW, NCSS Associate Project Facilitator
Many children eagerly anticipate school vacations with the opportunity for more rest and relaxation. Other children may view the experience differently and feel overwhelmed with the amount of downtime and disruption in their routine. The break from a school routine may be especially stressful for children with autism, who often thrive in structured and predictable settings. Families and caregivers can keep the momentum going, during the summer, with these strategies for continued engagement and fun.
- Establish a new routine for summer and talk about the schedule ahead of time. Partner with your child to create the schedule. Your child may have a preference for when they do their chores each day or how late they want to sleep. Having your child involved in creating a schedule will increase likelihood of their participation and decrease stress. It will also help with decreasing the amount of screen time each day.
- Provide a written or visual schedule which is accessible to everyone. Maintaining a similar routine, even when traveling, for mealtimes and bedtimes are helpful anchors each day. At minimum, you should focus on creating a bookend structure that follows a fairly consistent routine including a wake-up time and bedtime.
- Plan activities and have your child contribute ideas. When planning the many different activities that will help build your summer, invite your child to contribute their ideas as well. See what activities they would like to participate in and enjoy during the summer break. Summer is an opportunity to learn something new, try a new hobby, attend camp, etc. Offer some suggestions based on their interests and skills.
- Plan ahead for new activities and vacations. Prepare for new experiences through practice and discussion. You can set up a visit to an airport to practice boarding an airplane and going through security, review Youtube videos of the amusement park and rides, the ballpark or the aquarium before you go. If your family is taking a trip or attending a social gathering, make sure to prepare for what to expect (e.g., when/where, who will be there, what he/she/they can do if feeling stressed or overwhelmed). Incorporate the use of social stories, which can be used to preview upcoming events using a visual format. Social stories are used to help reduce your child’s stress or anxiety by making unfamiliar situations feel more predictable. There are many resources for social stories available online. Giving your child an opportunity to ask questions and learn more before the activity will reduce anxiety and worry and increase the likelihood of success.
- Help your child learn through play and encourage time outdoors. Try to find several outdoor activities your child enjoys. Having options of activities and engaging with them will help with participation. Being active is important for both physical and mental health and allows for burning off energy each day. It will help to list these activities on the daily schedule along with opportunities for activities of their choosing.
Although scheduling is key, make sure to allow for breaks and focus on having fun. Summer is an opportunity for new discoveries and trying things outside of a classroom setting. Remember the goal is for you and your family to have a fun and relaxing summer.
Resources:
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Sexuality & IDD-MH by Dave Hingsburger, M.Ed.
Shared as part of the 2021 National Online Training Series
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Teamwork is:
- The process of working collaboratively within a group of people in order to achieve established goals.
- Teamwork is crucial to the mission of START, as it is often necessary to work together in challenging circumstances.
- Teamwork means that people cooperate, using their individual skills and strengths toward solutions-based dialogue.
- Teamwork is selfless. It focuses on the good of the team.
- Teamwork runs on the concept of synergy.
(Beasley, 2022)
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Two core values of the START model are teamwork and capacity building. These two values are inextricably linked. We may often think about these terms in relation to people receiving START services and their systems of support. However, it is important to highlight the impact of capacity building within organizations as well. This article provides on example of how the National Center for START Services (NCSS) utilizes teamwork for capacity building.
With changes occurring to the START Information Reporting System (SIRS), the QA Data team identified a need for additional training for START teams. The Data team wanted to develop methods to proactively address common data entry errors. To do this, they reached out the Training team and established a series of planning meetings.
Through linking together and utilizing the strengths of each department, two new types of support for START teams were developed.
- SIRS Shorts: A series of brief, instructional videos that address frequently asked questions or common errors. Each SIRS Short offers the viewer concrete next steps to support enhanced quality in data entry.
- SIRS Labs: Live support sessions for problem solving around data entry.
Each intervention includes both a clinical perspective and a technical lens to support diversity in learning styles. This example highlights how values of the START model permeate every aspect of our professional practice.
Sometimes, looking within your own agency through the lens of an ecomap, linking to resources, or identifying strengths can enhance the capacity of your system. Sound familiar?
In honor of the SIRS Shorts that always end with a challenge to apply the new learning, here is what YOU can do with this information. Look at your current systems (draw an ecomap of your professional agency or a Venn diagram) & ask yourself:
- What are the strengths of each system?
- Where could cross-collaboration result in innovative and creative outcomes?
- Do you have needs within your department or role that could benefit from consultation from another department?
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Have a healthy and happy week,
National Center for START Services
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